For more on the issues-centered approach in the social studies see: Evans, R. W., & Saxe, D. W. (1996). Handbook on Teaching Social Issues. NCSS Bulletin 93. National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).

The 1892 report Ron mentioned is the National Education Association’s “History Ten” (part of NEA’s “Committee of Ten”) chaired by Charles Kendall Adams which also included Woodrow Wilson, James Harvey Robinson and others. It was published in 1894.

The American Historical Association’s (AHA) Committee of Seven met in 1899 and was similar to the History Ten, but pushed traditional history movement into secondary schools. It was much more highly adopted and recommended “four blocks” of history instruction: ancient, medieval, modern, and American. It sought to train students in the art of thinking historically

In 1916, the NEA’s Committee on the Social Studies (part of NEA’s Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education) met and was headed by Sociologist Jesse James; It recommended a compromise between history and issues-centered social studies with the Problems of Democracy Course (POD) best representing the latter.

Writings helped lead to reform and included Rudolf Flesch’s 1955 book Why Johnny Can’t Read and then eventually accountability-reform with the National Commission on Education’s “A Nationa at Risk” report.